I'd like to use a lifeline: Call Perry Mason, please!

Here is a case of: Can you believe it?

One of my friends recommended a mystery book to read[published in 1952[!], and I went online to my library site and reserved it. My library did not have it, so they did an inter-library request, and the book was sent from a town 45 minutes away. I picked it up, and life got busy, and I didn't get to read it before it was due. I remember picking it off the shelf in my bedroom to promptly return it, and then it vanished into thin air. I looked everywhere for it. I asked my friends to look in my car in case I just wasn't seeing it. I searched on my porch, dining room, living room...garage ...everywhere! Damn! It made me crazy!

This really was a mystery!

And I figured the book wasn't even in print anymore[1952!], so I wasn't going to be able to replace it...regardless of paying its cost.

I thought that if I renewed it, I would have more time to find it, and so I pursued that route. The procedure is relatively easy to accomplish online, and as I pressed 'renew' , it said NO!

No?

Really!

Evidently someone else had requested it and that nullified the opportunity to renew it.

What were the odds that:

1- The book had to be an inter-library loan.

2- It was non-replaceable because of its publication date.

3- Someone else had reserved this 'dinosaur of a book'!!!!

And I couldn't flippin' find it!!!

It reached the point that I had to let it go. I would pay the fine, and it would be done. I could not spend the rest of my life with 'one eye always looking around for the lost book' .

I called the library to say that I could not find it, I could not renew it, and what did I owe.

The librarian said:"It isn't due until August 12th."

I answered, "The system wouldn't let me renew it because someone else has placed a hold on it."

She said:"I overrode it on the computer, thinking you could use a little more time to find it."

This woman is the parent of a former student of mine, and it was a very nice gesture.

But it also gave me another month of 'hell' trying to locate it.

Oh great...just when I had resigned myself to writing a check and being 'done with it.'

And then, a couple of days ago, in the process of decluttering my bedroom by removing an object or two. I lifted a rectangular porcelain box from the floor, and removed its lid, and there it was!

The inter-library loaned ...dinosaur of a book... that was published in 1952... and had someone waiting for it!
I have no idea how it got in there. I immediately brought it to the library along with some 'glads'[gladiolas], and began singing, "Glad all over! Yes! I'm... glad all over!
{That's a song from the 70's]

Well, all's well that ends well.

And, boy, am I ever relieved! And quite frankly, I've had enough mystery for a while!